-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Adam `` MCA '' Yauch , a founding member of the pioneering rap band Beastie Boys , died Friday after a nearly three-year battle with cancer , the band 's publicist said .

A torrent of Twitter messages from entertainers lauded Yauch , 47 , as a visionary musical artist , filmmaker and humanitarian .

`` He stood for integrity as an artist . What a loss . He was a very good man , '' said actor Ben Stiller .

Yauch revealed in 2009 that he had a cancerous tumor in a salivary gland . As a result , the band canceled its scheduled concerts and delayed the release of an album .

Watch Yauch announce he 'd been diagnosed with cancer

`` I started feeling this little lump in my throat , like you would feel if you have swollen glands or something like that , like you 'd feel if you have a cold , so I did n't really think it was anything , '' he said then in a video to fans .

Yauch , a self-taught bassist and vocalist , underwent surgery to treat the tumor that year .

The Chart : Salivary gland cancer rare with few known risk factors

The Beastie Boys , who blended punk and rap , burst on the music scene in 1986 with the album `` Licensed to Ill , '' which included hits such as '' -LRB- You Got ta -RRB- Fight for the Right -LRB- to Party '' -RRB- , an anthem to teen angst ; `` Brass Monkey '' and `` No Sleep Till Brooklyn . ''

The group came together for the first time to play at Yauch 's 17th birthday party , its publicist said .

Yauch was the oldest of the Beastie Boys , an only child who grew up in Brooklyn Heights , according to Current Biography magazine . The band , which also featured Michael `` Mike D '' Diamond and Adam `` Adrock '' Horovitz , sold more than 40 million records and had four No. 1 records .

The Beastie Boys ' success in hip-hop was notable at a time when the music form was dominated by African-American performers .

`` The group 's music crossed genres and color lines , and helped bring rap to a wider audience , '' said Neil Portnow , president of the Recording Academy .

Yauch was unable to attend the band 's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last month . Horovitz read Yauch 's acceptance letter .

Marquee : Remembering The Beastie Boys ' greatest hits

Under an alias , Yauch directed several Beastie Boys videos , including `` Intergalactic '' and `` So What ` cha Want . ''

Yauch converted to Buddism in the 1990s after visiting Nepal and hearing the Dalai Lama speak in Arizona , he told the Buddhist magazine Shambhala sun in 1995 .

`` It just seemed like Buddhism , especially Tibetan Buddhism -- because that 's mainly what I 've been exposed to -- was a real solid organization of teachings to point someone in the right direction , '' the magazine quoted him as saying . `` Some real well thought out stuff . But I do n't know , like , every last detail about Buddhism . ''

Marquee : Celebs react to the loss of Yauch

The conversion led him to have second thoughts about the bawdy party-boy image the band portrayed in the 1980s , he told the Boston Globe in 1998 .

`` I did n't realize how much harm I was doing back then and I think a lot of rap artists probably do n't realize it now , '' the newspaper quoted him as saying . `` I said a lot of stuff fooling around back then , and I saw it do a lot of harm . I had kids coming up to me and saying , ` Yo , I listen to your records while I 'm smoking dust , man . ' And I 'd say , ` Hey , man , we 're just kidding . I do n't smoke dust . ' People need to be more aware of how they 're affecting people . ''

As a Buddhist , Yauch became an advocate for Tibetan freedom .

He founded the Milarepa Fund , which helped raise money for the effort , and organized charity concerts involving the Beastie Boys and other acts , including the first Tibetan Freedom Concert in 1996 . Several similar concerts followed .

The Milarepa Fund also organized a 9/11 benefit concert for residents deemed least likely to get aid from other sources .

Yauch also founded Oscilloscope Laboratories , which was active in independent video distribution . Its founder directed the basketball documentary `` Gunnin ' For That # 1 Spot , '' released in 2008 .

`` Adam was incredibly sweet and the most sensitive artist , who I loved dearly , '' said music impresario Russell Simmons , co-founder of Def Jam , which released `` Licensed to Ill. ''

`` I was always inspired by his work , '' Simmons said . `` He will be missed by all of us . ''

Yauch is survived by his wife , Dechen ; a daughter , Tenzin Losel ; and his parents , according to the band 's publicist .

People we 've lost in 2012 : The lives they lived

CNN 's Phil Gast contributed to this report .

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Stars pay tribute to multifaceted entertainer

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Adam `` MCA '' Yauch dies after three-year cancer battle

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The self-taught musician was a founding member of the pioneering Beastie Boys

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Yauch was diagnosed with cancer in 2009